Beloved

How shall we live?

By God, By grace,

Be held, Be loved,

Behold, Be love.

Tom Horsfield, 2008

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

T-shirt at Family Christian Stores

Evangelize or Glorify

Has God called us to evangelize the world? Or has he called us to fill the earth with His Glory? Is there a difference?

I'm starting to think that our part is ... to walk with God, live in His love, and learn to love and act like him, in all of our relationships, endeavors, relaxations, and rest. As we encounter those who want to hear, or go out and reach out to others, our part is not necessarily to convert and convince, but to communicate graciously and persuasively in words and in our actions, and then let God the Holy Spirit do His part.

Baptizing - In water, or is it even more. Immersing our communities in WHO He is.

To baptize, to immerse, to dip and keep on dipping, people in His name. Who He is! Not just water baptism, but in experiencing His love through us, and His truth through us, and His grace through us.

Matthew 28:18-20

Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

--
Tom

Church: Organized or Organic

While conversing with a friend about the term Organic Church, he used the term organized effort to describe the more familiar form in the western church. Looking these adjectives up in WordNet, I am beginning to see the contrast. Especially from the terms listed in the similar to sections below.

• S: (adj) organized (methodical and efficient in arrangement or function) "how well organized she is"; "his life was almost too organized"
• see also
• similar to
• S: (adj) methodical (characterized by method and orderliness) "a methodical scholar"
• S: (adj) well-conducted (characterized by good organization and control) "a well-conducted meeting"

• S: (adj) organic (being or relating to or derived from or having properties characteristic of living organisms) "organic life"; "organic growth"; "organic remains found in rock"
• similar to
• S: (adj) integrated, structured (resembling a living organism in organization or development) "society as an integrated whole"
• S: (adj) nonsynthetic (involving or derived from living organisms; free from chemical treatments or additives) "organic gardening is more natural"; "nonsynthetic fertilizer"

Source of terms:

http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Also can compare based on structure, behavior, and roles.

The brick and mortar church

structure ... Top-Down; Committees
roles ... Leader vs. follower/constituent; Instructor vs. Listener
behavior ... Scheduled; Well-conducted; Best foot forward; Facade; Greek Model

The organic church

structure ... Integrated web of relationships
roles ... Participant; Conversational
behavior ... As needed; Ad hoc; Be real; Broken; Hebrew Model

Affirmations of a Revolutionary

Excerpt from Revolution

by George Barna

The Affirmations of a Revolutionary

What we believe drives what we do. What we believe matters to God—which is why so much of the Bible painstakingly explains God and His kingdom (i.e., theology). The Revolution fosters a stunningly diverse array of activities that work together to produce spiritual and behavioral transformation. But Revolutionaries connect at the level of theology. What are the affirmations common to Revolutionaries?

I am a Revolutionary in the service of God Almighty. My life is not my own; I exist as a free person but have voluntarily become a slave to God. My role on earth is to live as a Revolutionary, committed to love, holiness, and advancing God's kingdom. My life is not about me and my natural desires; it is all about knowing, loving, and serving God with all my heart, mind, strength, and soul. Therefore, I acknowledge the following: •

1. I am a sinner, broken by my disobedience but restored by Jesus Christ in order to participate in good works that please God. I am not perfect; but Jesus Christ makes me righteous in God's eyes, and the Holy Spirit leads me toward greater holiness. •
2. God created me for His purposes. My desire as a Revolutionary is to fulfill those ends, and those ends alone. When I get out of bed each day, I do so for one purpose: to love, obey, and serve God and His people. •
3. Every breath I take is a declaration of war against Satan and a commitment to opposing him. •
4. God does not need me to fight His fight, but He invites me to allow Him to fight through me. It is my privilege to serve Him in that manner. I anticipate and will gladly endure various hardships as I serve God; for this is the price of participation in winning the spiritual war. •
5. I do not need to save the world; Jesus Christ has already done that. I cannot transform the world, but I can allow God to use me to transform some part of it. •
6. My commitment to the Revolution of faith is sealed by my complete surrender to God's ways and His will. I will gratefully do what He asks of me simply because He loves me enough to ask. I gain my security, success, and significance through my surrender to Him. •
7. I am not called to attend or join a church. I am called to be the Church. •
8. Worship is not an event I attend or a process I observe; it is the lifestyle I lead. •
9. I do not give away 10 percent of my resources. I surrender 100 percent. •
10. God has given me natural abilities and supernatural abilities, all intended to advance His kingdom. I will deploy those abilities for that purpose. •
11. The proof of my status as a Revolutionary is the love I show to God and people. •
12. There is strength in relationships; I am bound at a heart and soul level to other Revolutionaries, and I will bless believers whenever I have the chance. •
13. To achieve victory in the spiritual war in which we are immersed, there is nothing I must accomplish; I must simply follow Christ with everything I have. •
14. There is no greater calling than to know and serve God. •
15. The world is desperately seeking meaning and purpose. I will respond to that need with the Good News and meaningful service. •
16. Absolute moral and spiritual truth exists, is knowable, and is intended for my life; it is accessible through the Bible. •
17. I want nothing more than to hear God say to me, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Thank you, Lord God, for loving me, for saving me, for refining me, for blessing me, and for including me in the work of your kingdom. My life is yours to use as you please. I love you.

(I changed the bullets to numbers, solely so you can see where you are in the list.)